Immortal: A Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Story
by RustieIron
Summary: Charlie never truly knew what had happened to the four other kids on the day he visited Willy Wonka's factory. However, this all changes five years later, where he not only finds out the truth, but that him and the others cannot age any more. Knowing this, he decides that the kids should go back and travel in time to undo their mistakes.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note! Hey, everybody! Before you start reading, please note that I am not in any way trying to dramatize PTSD. I know it is not a joke, and my heart completely goes out to those suffering with it. And I'm so sorry if you find this insensitive, but just know that upsetting anybody with it is not my intention. If you are not a fan of me inserting PTSD into a character, please just leave. I'll see you in the next fanfiction :)

Charlie Bucket sat down at his desk on the first day of sophomore year. He was a little bit nervous, since he seemed to look a lot younger than everybody else. He walked every day and passed many people daily, and he never had one walk where he'd get a lot of looks. Especially because of the whole factory situation. Sometimes, though, it didn't feel like it was just because of the factory.

The teacher walked into the room. The minute he stepped foot into the room, he locked eyes with Charlie. His expression changed into a confused/disgusted look. At first, it didn't seem weird because he dealt with those looks often, but then he called him out.

"Sir, are you in the right school?" The teacher asked.

Charlie was confused. What kind of question is that, thought.

"Um…yeah. Yes, I am." He replied.

"Well, I'm sorry, mate, but you don't look old enough to be here." He said as the class erupted into laughter. Charlie, out of sheer panic, turned bright pink and rushed to the bathroom. Of course he knows what he looks like, but he never paid too much attention to it. He raced to the boy's bathroom and stared into the mirror. He was almost stunned when he saw what he did.

Charlie looked like he hadn't aged at all since he was 11, and he was now supposed to be 16. He really did look young. Come to think of it, he never noticed how much he hasn't changed. He hasn't had the time to sit down and stare at his reflection when he had a lot to do in his life. He isn't a conceited kid, either, so he didn't want to waste time looking at himself. So he never really saw that he was making slow growth progress. But he always chalked it up to being a late bloomer, so the thought didn't stress him out too much.

Suddenly, he realized that he left the class he was supposed to attend. Well, I don't want to go back…not after that…he thought. He slowly opened the door as a teacher approached him.

"Young boy, I don't think you belong here," he said, "are you lost?"

Charlie didn't want to be there, so he lied. "Y-yeah. I…think I got the wrong school. I apologize, sir. I'll see myself out."

The teacher was taken aback by how polite he was. But he silently walked to the side, clearing Charlie's way. The kid nodded and proceeded to leave the building. He left the school without anybody questioning it; everyone thought he just walked into the wrong school, which was very dumb, but it was fine. The boy left the school and found a bench.

He thought of a lot. What causes growth to stunt? Is it the food he ate? The water he drank? The medicine he was provided? Honestly, it could have been anything. Maybe he had good skincare? Or perhaps inherited this? He was confused.

"Psst…" he heard somebody whisper.

"Charlie…!" he heard again. Charlie looked around, confused. He was then met with a familiar face. It was…Violet Beauregarde? Violet? The one that blew up like a violet balloon? He hasn't seen her in three years. He had no idea about her whereabouts, too.

She was wearing a grey shirt and grey sweatpants. Kind of…odd attire. Aside from the outfit, she didn't look odd or anything because of the blueberry situation. But he noticed one thing...she looked the same as when he last saw her.

"Violet?" Charlie said, loudly.

"Sh-! You're gonna get us both caught!" she hushed him. "Lay low and follow me."

He did as she asked. She wasn't speaking to him, though, for some odd reason. Violet was occasionally turning back to see if Charlie was still there. He tried asking the general questions, but she'd hush him. But then she finally spoke.

"I've been searching for you for a while." She said.

"Me? Why?" He asked.

"Can't answer." She replied.

"Um, okay." Charlie said.

It was silent for a second. Then, Violet broke the silence.

"So you've noticed it too, right?" She asked.

He was confused. He kind of felt like he knew what she was talking about, but she wasn't clear.

"What do you mean?" He replied.

"Your aging process. It's going slow, right?"

He knew it. "…yeah. But that's natural, right?"

"I knew it. You, Mike, Veruca, Augustus, and I aren't so different."

It's been a while since Charlie has heard that string of names. Suddenly, a bunch of memories flashed of the factory, which he lived in. Of Willy Wonka, Augustus getting sucked in a pipe, Violet blowing up, Veruca falling to the trash, and Mike getting shrunken. He hadn't thought of the others in years.

"Wait, what?" He asked.

"You remember them, right? It's been years, but it was unforgettable." She said to him.

"Well, of course. Especially since I…you know, won. I've basically had a reminder every day about you guys."

Her expression changed.

"Yeah, I know. It was pretty unforgettable. Especially for the little one."

"'The little one?'" Charlie asked.

"Yeah. The kid about half a foot shorter than me. Likes watching television or something like that."

"Do you mean Mike?"

"Yeah. Him. He's had some serious issues. The three of us can sorta handle what's happened, but Mike seems to be holding up weaker than a stick below a boulder."

"What?" Charlie said, baffled.

"Oh, that kid's been freaking out about random words since we first met up."

"Random words? What happened?"

"Once, I told a joke, and Augustus was laughing up a storm. Then I said something along the lines of, 'wow, you're laughy taffy, aren't you?' And then the kid freaked. He broke down. Started sobbing, screaming. He really made a scene in the middle of a park. A bunch of people came to see if he was okay."

"…'laughy taffy?' Did you ever figure out what set him off?"

She hesitated. "Well, kind of. But he did get set off another time. He asked if Willy Wonka was dead—which he isn't—and I said that's a stretch. After I said that, he started shaking and hid in a closet. You can hear the sounds from a mile away, though. It took everything to pry him out."

"Gee," Charlie said, "that's brutal."

"Sad thing is, we don't know what triggers his PTSD."

Charlie paused for a second. "PTSD?"

Violet stopped walking. She looked down and said, "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Basically, when you've gone through some stuff. War, trauma. And there are certain triggers. You know what triggers are, right?"

"Yeah. But…why does he have PTSD?"

"Beats me. But I'm not a doctor; I can't diagnose him. Even though it's pretty obvious he has it."

"Have you figured out his trigger words?"

"All I've figured out is the word, 'taffy'. He freaked out when I asked him if he wanted some."

Charlie stopped for a second. He remembered what happened. Mike got shrunken, his mom put him in her purse, then Wonka…said he's going to be turned back to normal via…taffy puller. Oh, lord. What was done to him?

"Taffy puller." He said aloud.

Violet turned to him. "What?"

"The…taffy puller. Don't you remember?"

She stared at him blankly. He forgot that she wasn't there to witness it.

"…right. Mr. Wonka had this…thing. I don't know how to explain, but it was like a teleporter. And Mike decided to use it on himself." Charlie said, recalling the event from five years ago. "Then, his mom freaked out because he shrunk himself, and Mr. Wonka said he should be stretched back to normal via taffy puller."

Violet's eyes widened. "No way! That explains the scars."

"Scars?" Charlie said. "What scars?"

"Well, I don't know what they are for sure. They're distinct marks, though, and they're only at his joints and stuff. Like, if somebody ripped all of his limbs off and sewed them back on."

Charlie cringed at the statement. Did that happen? No, it couldn't have.

"It seems like he had a rough situation," he said, "Was that the case for everyone else?"

"Kinda. Let's just say, I gave up gum, Veruca's less annoying and snobby, and Augustus cut down on food."

"Wow." He said. He was shocked. The same kids that were with him at the factory are not opposites of who they were now. Over what, though? What happened that caused a huge change?

"I know, Violet giving up gum. Crazy, eh?" She joked.

Charlie chuckled. "I guess it's reasonable to."

Their walk lasted in silence. Though their conversation was disturbing, it was refreshing to speak with Violet again.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't know why I have to say this, but I messaged Mike's actor on twitter and he responded. I'm kinda having a massive heart attack right now, but not a big deal.**

**By the way, I'll have to put in a trigger warning. There is mention of something but it's very slight, but it's still heavily implying something. It's one thing but it can be triggering.**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for the huge break. Writer's block...**

Violet led Charlie to an abandoned home, and the sight was horrific. It looked like it wasn't inhabited in years, and that was probably the case. There were vines running up and down the windows, and some of them were broken. The trees were leafless and dead, and the house had multiple graffiti markings on it.

"We're here." She said.

"This is disgusting!" For some reason, Charlie blurted that out.

She rolled her eyes, probably playfully. "Yeah, but nobody goes here. So it's perfect when you don't want to be seen."

She walked to the porch and knocked on the door. A familiar voice was heard from behind it.

"What's the secret knock?" Said the voice.

Violet rolled her eyes.

"Stay behind me." She said. Then, she knocked on the door.

_knock-knock-knock…knock…knock-knock._

"Okay, I did the stupid knock. Let me in, Mike."

The door opened to reveal Mike Teevee, who was supposed to be about fourteen or thirteen, look the exact same as when Charlie first saw him. His height hadn't changed at all, and his overall features have not changed whatsoever. He was wearing something similar to Violet; grey t-shirt, grey shorts, and sneakers. Since he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, Charlie could see the "scars" Violet was talking about. They were weird red lines that looked like stitches. Perhaps he injured himself on the taffy puller? Messed up the procedure and had to get stitches, probably. But the thought of that was so painful. So…twisted.

"The knock is not stupid," he said, voice still the same, "it's helpful!"

"Cool. Bring the other kids down, will ya?" Violet said.

He nodded and left.

"Wow, he hasn't changed either?" Charlie questioned, still startled.

Violet shook her head as Mike came down with Veruca Salt and Augustus Gloop. All three hadn't grown an inch. Veruca wore a grey t-shirt and grey skirt. Charlie noticed, though, that she had a tan-ish spot on the side of her leg. Augustus was wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey sweatpants. It was noticeable that he lost a bit of weight. Both kids have not changed at all either, and it was starting to sink in that something must be very wrong. Both Augustus and Veruca were supposed to be eighteen-seventeen, and they did _not_ look like that.

"Is he here?" Veruca asked.

Violet nodded and stepped aside, revealing Charlie. He awkwardly waved as the three children were smiling from relief.

"Charlie!" Mike said, cheerfully. "We've been loo-"

He was cut off by Augustus covering his mouth. He whispered something into Mike's ear, and he responded by silently going, "ooooh…" and shut up.

"Don't mind him, he says a lot of stuff." Veruca said.

After a short pause, Charlie spoke. "You all look the same. That's not right."

Everybody went quiet.

"Get in." Violet quickly mumbled, shoving Charlie in the home.

She shut the door aggressively as the others were staring at him. Charlie felt uncomfortable, like they all depended on him for something he doesn't know of.

"Of course you remember could you not? But you need to know what happened after." Violet said, now very serious.

Everybody looked down, seemingly because they have had this conversation already.

"We live here because we have no one left. Each of us are siblingless, and our parents are gone. We have no idea where they are."

"Why?"

"We can…talk about that later."

"I have time," said Charlie, "my mom thinks I'm still at school anyway."

"Well-"

Not wanting to make a slow conversation, Augustus intervened.

"After our mishaps in the factory, we've made a discovery that our parents are nowhere to be seen. Shortly after that, we were reported missing as well. We each assume the worst. We haven't seen them in five years." He told with a cold, sad tone.

"Oh my gosh…but they're probably still alive. Just missing."

"Charlie, we've been telling ourselves that every day for five years. We've given up on that thought. They're dead." Violet asserted.

"I still miss my mom…" Mike mumbled quietly.

"What about your father?" Veruca questioned.

The question gave Mike a look that could only be described as someone taking personal offense to something, though he didn't say he was offended by it.

He looked at Veruca and stared blankly at her face for a second.

"He doesn't handle his aggression well." He said coldly.

Understanding what he meant, Veruca shut up and changed the topic.

"Charlie, there's no time for this. You asked, we answered."

"Whatever, let's move on. Charlie, do you know what happened to us in the factory?"

Charlie swallowed. "No. I'm sorry. I haven't put that into consideration."

Violet went quiet.

"Well, we can tell you." Veruca said.

"Let's start off with Augustus," she suggested, "then we'll go on from there."

He stepped forwards.

"Gee, okay. Well, after I got sucked in the pipe, I was basically baked into fudge. But not enough to kill me, of course. My mom came in, and basically pried me out of the fudge. It was so hot, though, but I couldn't die for some reason. Maybe something was in the chocolate? I don't know." Augustus said, recalling the event flawlessly.

"Wow. I'm sorry…" Charlie said, amazed.

"I know."

"That's awful…I didn't even know that could happen!"

He simply nodded as Violet stepped forward.

"Me, next. Basically, the orange things roll me to the juicing room and force me to go in a sauna-like thing. The walls started closing in, and it started coming out of my mouth, eyes and ears. Gross stuff. But I got out of it alive. I still remember to this day what it feels like."

"That sounds like it hurt!" Charlie exclaimed.

"It sure did. But not enough to…" she leaned forwards, "…cause PTSD."

He looked at Mike reflexively. He didn't notice, though.

"Well, looks like it's time to talk about MY situation. You and Mike saw this. But after I fell,"

"Which was hilarious!" Mike added.

"Be quiet! Anyway, I landed onto stuff that was weirdly soft. Most of it was all candy wrappers and stuff, but that's not important. I fell into the trash, which was disgusting. Then, I saw my father. There was yelling. Quite a bit. None of that seems to matter, though. And then there was fire. Me and my dad tried to outrun it. We were almost unsuccessful," she said, pointing at the burn on the side of her leg, "but I'm here now, right?"

"Yeah. I'm glad you're alive." Charlie said, slowly starting to regret stepping foot in the factory.

She made an "mhm!" sound as Mike stepped forward. He took a deep breath and started.

"You saw everything. It was _awesome_ at first, but I sat in my mom's purse and thought logically. I slowly regretted it, and then we got there. To the T…t…" he said, struggling to say "taffy puller."

"Mike, can you do me a favor and put these on?" Violet said, acting fast. She swiftly handed him earmuffs as Augustus and Veruca tugged on his arm to lead him to the next room.

"I once had to deal with hours of tears just to get the stinking story out of him," she said, "and it was a 'lil incoherent, but knowing what I know now, I'm pretty sure he was stretched and almost got his limbs cut clean off. He said that he drank some juice thing or whatever, which caused him not to get cut in two, but since he fainted or something, he messed up the process and got those things. Scars. I think."

Charlie was speechless. Violet wasn't even there and the story seemed horrifying. He stared at her, not knowing how to respond.

"I know. It wasn't so pretty, was it?" She asked.

"What the hell!?" Charlie, shocked by the stories, said. He raised his voice unintentionally.

"Gee, Bucket, calm down. I know they're not sunshine stories, but I mean, we got over it."

She paused.

"Most of us."

"Keyword, 'most.' Not all of you are over it; this isn't _fair_! You guys suffered, and I didn't!"

"It's fair, Bucket. You _know_ we had it coming. It's just, one of us weren't so lucky."

Charlie didn't respond. He thought about it. Hearing all of this altered his point of view of Wonka. He knew he wasn't evil, but he caused all of that to happen to them. Perhaps it was to teach them a lesson. But…for Mike and Violet, that is one brutal lesson.

"…okay." Charlie said, still unsure.

"Gee, you're really taking this to heart, eh?"

"Yeah. Look, Violet, I'm just not open to the idea that there were people getting hurt while I was having fun."

She sighed. "Look, it was years ago. As long as you don't bring up those two words, Mike will be fine. We'll all be fine."

Charlie nodded, now a bit more relaxed.

"Augustus, take the muffs off of his head and get the rest in the living room!" Violet yelled.

The three entered the room.

"Okay, now that we've all established what happened, we can get to the _real_ issue." Violet remarked.

"Wait," Mike said, "let's go upstairs."

Everyone nodded. Violet grabbed Charlie's wrist, leading him upstairs. Each step the kids took on the stairs caused a massive creak. The upstairs floor was pretty big. There were about six doors in the wide hallway, most likely leading to each kid's room and a bathroom. The hallway was completely barren, and the paint on the wall was chipping from old age. There was no furniture, which only made it look uneasy.

The kids opened the first door, which creaked so loud that Charlie expected it to fall right off.

"Get in." Veruca commanded. Charlie obeyed and slowly walked in.

The room was somewhat small. Perhaps it was supposed to be a closet because it had no windows, but it was big enough to fit all the kids without discomfort.

Violet shut the door. "So. I'm sure you have noticed by now."

Charlie nodded. "That…none of you have grown at all."

"Yeah." she said.

"I don't know what to do, though." He said.

"Well, first, let's figure out why."

"So, Augustus. You drank out of that river, right?" Violet asked. He nodded.

"Did it taste weird?"

"Well," he said, "there was nothing noticeable aside from the fact that it was delicious. But no. There was nothing weird about it."

Violet looked stumped.

"Wait." Mike said. "Remember what Mr. Wonka said about the river?"

Everyone stared at him in confusion.

"…no?" Veruca said.

He blinked. "Oh, right! He only told me. My bad."

Veruca rolled her eyes as the three others were interested.

"He said something like, 'I usually put a special ingredient in this to make you feel great as you grow!' Still have no idea what that ingredient could be or what he meant."

Everyone was shocked.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?!" Violet questioned with an angry tone.

"Gee, calm it. I totally forgot about it until now. Sorry."

"Okay. At least we all know that Wonka puts sh-" she slowed down, shifting her gaze to Mike, "_stuff_ in the chocolate. That may be why _Augustus_ never grew. But what about the rest of us?"

"Veruca, what about you?" Charlie asked.

"Well, I remember trying the everlasting gobstopper. Didn't he say those can't get smaller?"

"You tried it!?" Augustus asked.

"Why wouldn't I? He never said we weren't allowed to try it."

Augustus didn't respond.

"Wait, so you tried a candy that is…_everlasting_? Kind of like us right now, right?" Charlie said.

"A few licks can't stunt my age, Charlie." Veruca said condescendingly.

"It can, actually. Doesn't it make sense? Everlasting gobstoppers can't get smaller. They last forever."

"That makes sense!" Violet said.

"Well, the gum and juicing process was probably why I'm not progressing." she said, after a short pause.

She looked at Mike. "What about you?"

"I had to drink stuff so I wouldn't rip." he said quietly, not wanting to talk about it.

"And me…I drank a fizzy lifting drink. Probably changed something in me."

Mike and Veruca looked at each other.

"You tried them?" The two said in unison.

"Yeah, it was my Grandpa's idea."

"Well how did it taste?!"

"Aside from the fact that it almost lifted both of us into a fan, it was good. Like regular pop."

"So basically, Willy Wonka unintentionally made us unable to die?" Violet asked.

"Sounds about right." Augustus remarked.

The room fell silent. They got the reasoning as to why they were seemingly immortal, but they didn't have any idea of what to do about it. Each kid looked around at each other in confusion, all stumped. The silence lasted a few uncomfortable seconds before Charlie broke it.

"I have a solution," he said.

Everyone waited for Charlie to state his solution.

"We go back to the factory."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the support! I've never published a fanfiction with more chapters than one, so I'm sorry if I'm taking my sweet time 3 **

Augustus laughed.

Charlie looked at him.

"Oh. Oh, you're serious?"

Charlie nodded.

"Are you crazy?!" Violet asked.

"No, listen,"

"I'm not gonna listen to that!"

"Hear me out! We didn't get to see everything—the place is _huge_. Maybe Wonka has something there that can help. He still kinda…lives with me after all. After all, he might have a-"

"No." Mike said flatly.

"I'm not going back to that…"

"That what?" Veruca questioned with a smirk.

"Shithole." He quickly cursed, regretting it shortly after.

The word felt weird coming from a nine-year-old. Everyone's eyes widened in shock at the fact that a little boy would say that, despite themselves coming close to saying potty words on numerous occasions. Charlie looked shocked from the mother inside of him.

"Mike, don't say that. It's not a good word for kids like you!" Charlie commanded with a stern look.

He looked down. "Fishface said it once."

"Who?" Violet asked in confusion.

"My friend. He looks like a fish; super ugly. He swears occasionally."

"Well, just because 'fishface' said it doesn't mean you have to," said Charlie.

"Sorry…"

"It's fine. My mom just rubs off on me, I guess…"

"Okay, that weird altercation was great and all, but I _really_ want to hear Charlie's explanation as to why in the Sam Hill I would ever go back to that place."

Augustus sneered. "When do you _not_ want something?"

Mike, Violet, and Charlie all snickered as Veruca looked at Augustus in pure annoyance.

"Very cool, Augustine, way to interrupt the conversation again. Charlie, I want to hear it. Now."

Augustus rolled his eyes playfully while Mike and Violet both visibly enjoyed the petty argument between the two.

"Augustine…?" Charlie said.

"He doesn't deserve to be called by his regular name," she mumbled.

"I can hear you, snob!" He yelled back.

"You're calling _me_ a snob?"

"How 'bout we break this up?" Mike asked monotonously.

"Yeah…" Charlie said.

"Just say your plan so I can see if I like it or not!" She snapped at him. He flinched.

"Alright, sorry…I'm just saying, Mr. Wonka has a lot of inventions. Stuff that seems to be impossible. Maybe he had some sort of…time machine. So we can go back, undo our mistakes, and we'll be fine."

Everybody went quiet. While nobody's first option was to go back to the place that messed them up so much, Charlie had an extremely valid point. Plus, everybody missed their parents. If there was a chance for the kids to see them again, of course they'd take it. But at the same time, they weren't so ready to change.

"Charlie," Mike started, "It'd be pretty rad to undo this, but I don't wanna come close to dying again. I'll be a no for me."

"But that's what I'm saying; you don't have to. Because if you don't use Wonkavision, then you'll never…have to go to…You'll never have to experience that again."

There was no response.

"Look, I know you guys want to do this. I can tell."

Just before the kids could reply, a loud ringing was heard on the phone. Everyone looked at each other as Mike rushed down to answer it. Everyone followed him in confusion.

Mike picked up the phone, making everyone angry as he did so.

"I thought you said this thing was busted!" He whisper-shouted to Violet.

"Well, it's not my fault I didn't know!" She hissed back.

"Hi, who is this?" Mike asked the mystery person on the phone.

"Hello, little boy." The voice said. It sounded like an older man. He sounded familiar but the phone's quality made it hard to recognize.

"Hi."

"Good morning. Is Charlie Bucket here?" The man inquired. Mike looked at Charlie, mouthing, "he wants you."

Charlie looked afraid, so Mike decided not to hand the phone to him.

"No. This is…Greggory. I don't know any Charlies." He lied, albeit not convincing. The others held in a snicker, hearing his pathetic alias. Charlie was confused.

"Oh. Okay. Why aren't you in school, _Greggory_?"

"I'm sick."

There was a pause.

"I see. Feel better soon."

"Thank you."

"Of course. When Charlie can respond, put him on the phone. Please." The man commanded, growing impatient.

"I said I don't know any Charlies."

"Okay. Listen carefully, my little boy. My name is Mr. Wilkinson. Charlie should know me. I would like to speak to him."

"I said I don't know Charlie, sir. Stop talking to me like I do."

"Okay. I won't."

There was a pause.

"Are you sure, Mike?" The man asked.

He yelped and hung up.

"Well?!" Veruca asked.

"He wanted to talk to Charlie, obviously. He knew your last name. His name was Mr. Wilkinson or something."

Charlie had a shocked look on his face.

"Mr…what?"

"Wilkinson…do you know him?"

Charlie slowly nodded.

"How does he know you're here?!" Violet asked.

"I don't know!" He shouted.

"H-he knew my name. I don't know how." The boy muttered, more to himself than to the others.

"How? You never said your name." Charlie asked.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. All five kids were frozen in place, petrified from fear. It wasn't long before the children panicked.

"What do we do?!" Mike whispered to Violet.

"Just don't answer it!" She replied.

"I thought nobody knew anyone lived here!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Well, you thought wrong!" Veruca hissed.

Annoyed at the freakout, Augustus decided to walk up to the door and answer it, despite Violet and Veruca's desperate pleas not to. He slowly cracked the door open, but not enough to see the person that was there. As he opened the door wider, he caught a glimpse of the mystery person and yelped. The man was Slugworth, as the other kids recognized him, or Mr. Wilkinson as Charlie recognizes him.

"What do you want?" He questioned forcefully.

"I want to talk to Charlie." He said.

Everyone looked at the boy. Charlie swallowed.

"He's not here; he's in school."

"I know that's not true."

"How, exactly?"

"If Charlie were in school, he wouldn't have followed a little girl into this house. And that 'little girl' was obviously Violet Beauregarde. See, I work near the school on a high floor and a big window, and I see a lot of things. I know he's here. Let me talk to him."

The kid was taken aback from the response.

"Fine," he muttered, opening the door all the way and pissing off the girls. It exposed the sight of Mike standing next to the phone, only making it more obvious that he was lying to him. Mr. Wilkinson stared at Mike with no emotion.

"Hello, _Greggory_. Nice to see you again." The man said with a monotonous voice.

Mike didn't answer; he was still frozen in place.

"Uh…hi, S…" he was cut off.

"You really haven't grown an inch, Michael." He mocked as he stepped into the rotting home. As he walked behind Violet to go to Charlie, he dropped a few papers. Nobody except Mike noticed it.

"What do you want with Charlie?" Violet asked with a protective tone.

"I want to speak with him. Mr. Wonka needs him for something." He replied back.

The name triggered something in the kids, but in a somehow comforting way. While they got messed up in their own ways, they never brought it upon themselves to ever blame Wonka, because each of them had time to reflect. They all thought he was dead or something, so hearing the name made them feel a little better.

"Michael, improve your posture. You look like you were born with a spine made of jelly." He yelled to Mike, catching the kids off-guard.

"Why me!?" Mike asked in a whiny tone.

"Because good boys don't lie. Me and Mr. Wonka aren't fond of boys like you. As a matter of fact, we're not fond of any of you children in this room except one. I'd like to talk to Charlie."

The off-putting answer made the kids angry because he was speaking to them like they were dirt beneath his shoes.

"And you," he pointed to Mike, "you're probably the worst liar I have ever seen. Try harder next time, little boy."

"Oh, now you're _definitely_ not going to talk to Charlie after that." Violet retorted.

"Yeah! You don't just say something like that and expect to have him talk to you!" Veruca chimed in.

"It's better you don't argue with me because I know a lot about you four, and this information could be put to use." He said flatly.

"Why do you hate us so much?" Augustus intervened.

The man turned to Augstus slowly before coming up with another insult-esque remark to the kids.

"It's not that I 'hate' any of you guys, so much as I just dislike your attitudes. Since they have not altered a smidge since I've last seen you all."

Mike grabbed Charlie's arm.

"We're not letting you take him!"

"It's okay, guys," said Charlie, walking up to Mr. Wilkinson and brushing Mike off of him.

"What?" Violet said, baffled.

"It's okay, guys I know what to do." He whispered.

He walked out of the house for a brief conversation.

"Hi, Mr. Wilkinson, how are you doing?"

He grinned. "I'm good, Charlie. Just listen carefully, my boy, I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Wonka would like you and the others to go back to the factory. I'd rather not say how he knew you guys were considering going back. But he did. Get them there by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" He repeated.

"Yes."

"Why not later?"

"Time is money, young man."

"…Okay."

"Don't disappoint us."

"I won't. Thank you, Mr. Wilkinson."

He nodded and walked away. Charlie's regret suddenly hit him.


End file.
